What Ariana Grande concertgoers thought would be a fun function turned into a traumatizing tragedy.
As we all know, on May 22, 2017, tragedy struck at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. In the packed-out venue, an explosion left everyone in a frenzy. A witness told NBC News she saw “a red orange-looking flash and heard an incredible bang.” Little did she know, this was a suicide bombing that would leave the world shocked.
Ariana Grande performs at the benefit concert. (Photo courtesy of CNN)
As people were exiting the show, the bomb exploded right outside the entrance near a ticket office leaving multiple wounded. CNN reported that the suicide bombing resulted in 100 injured, and 22 dead. This incident completely traumatized everyone involved, including future concertgoers. Concerts should be exciting and full of laughter, but this incident has left the world asking the pertinent question – “Is anywhere safe?”
Though Grande wasn’t injured, this incident has left her at a loss for words. She tweeted days later, “Broken. From the bottom of my heart.” She continued, “I am so so sorry. I don’t have words.” My heart completely goes out to Ariana, since I am a huge Ariana Grande fan. I wondered how she would come back from this incident, since her fans are her everything. Ariana Grande has been known for showing her fans tremendous amounts of love. She even calls them “Arianators” so it wasn’t a surprise that Grande created a benefit tour.
Despite the dark circumstances, Grande still felt the urge to return back to the stage to give an emotional yet inspiring benefit concert. This uplifting concert was created to raise money for the many victims’ funerals and more. According to ABC News, nearly $35 million was raised all together, this included ticket sales, and donations.
Grande’s “One Love Manchester” benefit concert aired live on Sunday, June 4 on Freeform. It had an impressive lineup of artists including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry. All of the artists performed songs that empowered all of us as to come together and support Manchester in this devastating time of need. One of my favorite performances of the night was Cyrus and Grande singing a perfect duet of “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” This song is very emotional and meaningful – one of its lyrics is, “They come to build a wall between us, and we know they won’t win.” Also, Grande gave a beautiful performance of the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” You could hear the hurt in her voice as she bravely continued the song.
The concert was a success, and it shows that despite the differences and the feuds celebrities might have with each other, they can all come together for a good cause. I pray for all the parents, and loved ones who have to go through such a devastating loss. I couldn’t imagine going to a concert and having to run for my life. Even though the benefit concert was a success, this still doesn’t erase the pain. We can’t let tragedies like the Manchester bombing scare us, and stop us from enjoying the fun things in life. We as people should never have to stop our lives because of a senseless act. We have to show the attacker than we can’t be defeated, and nothing can stop us.
